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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · roll · bat · jam · mine · can · toast · wind

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. roll — a list
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wind — moving air
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. can — a tin
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. can — a tin
  21. mine — for digging
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bat — the animal
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com